Choosing the right game for 19 adults

by jason
(NY)

Thanks so much for your website. It has lots of information, but so much so that I am a bit overwhelmed!

I have a group that I think will be 19 adults all approximately ages 45-50 (9 men, 10 women) plus myself as host. I guess it is possible a few might cancel, so need to be ready for that contingency. Plan is to have the party outdoors in a backyard. None of the 19 players have done this sort of thing before.

Can you help me choose which game would be best for me? Or if there are a few good choices, point out the differences between them, to understand better how they compare?

Thanks!

My response:

Thanks for the kind words about my site.

So with 19 guests, some of whom may cancel, you are probably looking at a game for something like 15 to 20 people. That means one of the games on this page.

While all of the games are ideal for first time hosts, some are more ideal than others (because they're slightly easier).

So I would recommend:

Hollywood Lies - a Hollywood themed game. (But as I wrote it you might want to take this recommendation with a pinch of salt.)

A Dead Man's Chest which is a pirate themed game. If you get all 19 guests you can use some of the free extra characters that come with that game.

The Final Curtain which is set in an amateur dramatic society.

The Spy Who Killed Me set in an Oxbridge college. Again, you might need to use the free extra characters.

All the games come with complete instructions, so I suggest that you pick the theme that interests you (and your guests the most).

I hope that helps, and have a good party!